In discussions about reserve rides with wingsuits, many times I was asked for a relationship or common factors. Let me try to answer that question this way – prevention is better than cure!

Pull High, and Stable

It is always a risk to talk about incidents that I have not personally observed. But generally I have seen many wingsuit pilots who are not 100% stable when it comes to pull time. They think they are – but they aren’t! In addition to the low rate of descent caused by a wingsuit, this may be the first step in the wrong direction. Before we start a discussion about substitutes like ‘longer bridle’, ‘bigger pilot chutes’, etc, we should address body position on deployment.

Always stop your wingsuit flight a little higher than a normal skydive. In the beginning, 5,000 feet (1,500m) should be pull time for you. Tell manifest that you need to pull a little higher. Step by step you can lower your pull altitude down to 3,500 feet (1,000m). No ‘Bird’ should pull lower; this way you allow yourself time to concentrate on a clean pull. It will also give you time enough to open all your zips – or to deal with ‘Plan B’ (LQRS or whatever is needed, see later). If you were caught by surprise and find yourself lower than you should be, your pull might result in a frantic, non-stable action, the result of trying to get your main out asap! So? Pull high, pull high and stable (like AFF, remember!), close all your wings before you pull – and don’t forget to ‘wave off’ beforehand (Birds do that by tapping toes).

Jump a Suitable Canopy

If you jump an elliptical or semielliptical and kind of aggressive small main canopy, you will face even more problems right after a not so stable pull and opening. Experience shows that elliptical canopies don’t come out of a line twist by themselves; in most cases they make the twists worse. I have 1,200 wingsuit flights now, with only one cutaway: I had an elliptical main at that time. This is the reason all wingsuit flight manuals say ‘don’t jump an elliptical canopy’. I myself like to fly my second 7-cell Spectre 120 now; the one I have today is 1,800 jumps old and still quite good! But Sabres, Quadras, everything that is non-elliptical, is okay too!

Practice Makes Perfect

Okay, when it comes to ‘technique’, let’s talk ‘body-technique’! When you are high enough on deployment, you have all the time you need to make sure you are symmetrical and stable. Even if you need a second attempt, you are not in a hurry! You can practise this if you like; think ‘wingsuit’ but jump without a wingsuit, practise the perfect wingsuit body position for pull time! If you find you still deviate in this moment, maybe you are not ready for a real wingsuit flight just yet. There is more information about this in the many wingsuit flight manuals.

Be Ready

One technique I myself use; I put both hands on the two arm wing release handles, right after I pull. Do I need them? Well at least I’m ready. And if not? I can let them go again! And open the zips instead, as planned.

Quick Release Legs

I am a big fan of LQRS, the Leg Quick Release System. This option doesn’t cost so much extra, and will always provide you with the opportunity to kick out line twists, etc.